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health advisory Hospital Health advisory 2007-11-16 5:20:42

How bad is it if your on zoloft and you drink while your on it? Especially if you haven't been on it for long.

Answer:

Believe me, I've hassled my doctors endlessly over this topic, no matter which SSRI I was on over the years. I'm not really a drinker, but there are occasions when it's important to know the facts (e.g. New Years Eve!).

I finally managed to gather that they disapprove of drinking because alcohol is a depressant. Depressed people shouldn't be taking depressants... it counterbalances the anti-depressant effect, see? And I'm guessing it's generally a bad idea to give depressed people permission to do something self-destructive with their bodies. No, it's nothing chemically specific, like they make it sound. They're just playing it safe.

At the same time, it does seem to about double the effects of alcohol, so you can drink much less to get drunk. Maybe some people see this as a benefit, and the doctors don't want to encourage them by pointing it out? Sheesh. It has certainly made ME drink a lot less, when I do drink.

Alcohol does lower the seizure threshhold, which is already lowered by being on (any) SSRI. If you're not already a seizure risk, I wouldn't worry about it, though.

If you've only been on Zoloft a short time and are feeling weird, don't let it freak you out. The first few weeks on an antidepressant will make you feel weird whether you're drinking or not. I can imagine drinking would make you feel even stranger -- so you should probably lay off until you're feeling stable.

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Taking any medications with alcohol is not a very good idea.

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Zoloft makes liquor more drunk so if you drink you will get drunk quicker and it lasts longer

Bad idea as you end up horny as a dog and can't have an orgasm

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Bad how? It won't make you any sicker or crazier or anything, at least not that I've experienced.

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each person reacts differently to such a mixture, but I can tell you that alcohol reduces the effectiveness of any ssri. Why take an expensive medication and then not get your money's worth by drinking?

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You'll destroy your liver as well as negate the potency of your SSRI.

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